Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri could be in line for more playing time after impressing in his six substitute appearances this season. The 21-year-old has yet to make a start for United this season, but his performance against Real Betis on Thursday caught the attention of manager Erik ten Hag. Pellistri played a vital role in setting up Wout Weghorst’s goal and came close to scoring one of his own.
Ten Hag admitted that he should have picked Pellistri against Liverpool and that the winger deserves more minutes before the end of the season. The Uruguayan joined United in 2020 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having been recommended by former striker Diego Forlan. However, Pellistri has had to be patient for a chance, given the competition for places in wide areas at Old Trafford.
Pellistri’s only two starts of the 2022/23 campaign came for Uruguay at the World Cup. But he has been impressing in training, and Ten Hag believes that he deserves his position based on his performance on the training ground. “When they came on, Scott [McTominay] and Pelli, it was 3-1 but 4-1 is huge, to make the extra goal. In the first moment, they did, which was brilliant,” said Ten Hag.
United are currently wearing black armbands in memory of former player Harry Gregg, who passed away earlier this month. The club is also mourning the loss of former youth player Ben Winterbottom, who died at the age of 18 after a battle with cancer.
In other news, Match of the Day 2 will continue in the same format as Match of the Day, with no presenter or commentary, as Gary Lineker’s support for the show continues. The show will feature highlights from Sunday’s Premier League games, including Manchester United’s clash with Southampton.
The January transfer window has now closed, with every deal completed in the Premier League. Premier League clubs spent a total of £280m during the window, with Manchester United’s signing of Raphael Varane from Real Madrid for £41m the biggest deal. The summer transfer window is expected to open on June 9th and close on August 31st. Clubs can still sign players after the deadline if they are free agents or if they are loan deals.
For more news and rumours on transfers and football, check out Metro.co.uk’s dedicated transfer hub.